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Journalist Arrested By Interpol For Tweet
New submitter StarWreck writes "Police in Kuala Lumpur detained Hamza Kashgari, 23, 'following a request made to us by Interpol' on behalf of the Saudi authorities. Kashgari, a newspaper columnist, fled Saudi Arabia after posting a tweet which read: 'I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don't understand about you I will not pray for you.' Said tweet sparked outrage in Saudi Arabia and resulted in multiple death threats. Kashgari faces the death penalty in Saudi Arabia."
Interpol has no "officers" to arrest anyone. It is a multinational organization that facilitates the sharing of info, and arrest warrants, between countries. Here, Saudi Arabia sent out an arrest warrant to Interpol and Interpol transmitted it to police in Kuala Lumpur. The police in Kuala Lumpur arrested. Interpol is just a middle man. We can argue whether it's good or bad (probably both), but Interpol doesn't "arrest" anybody and they didn't force the Lumpurian authorities to arrest. Interpol can't force the police of any State to act. Kuala Lumpur probably doesn't care about this guy and figured better relations with Saudi Arabia is more important.
The tweet was made on Muhammad's birthday. He was accused of apostasy as a result, an offense punishable by death in the muslim tradition.
"About the only two groups who haven't waged wars for their religion (or lack of one) are atheists and Buddhists"
If you think Buddhists have never fought wars over their beliefs then you know very little of Asian history
Except in Western terms, we don't put a price on your head for saying that.
apostasy is punishable by death in Islam
In the west the "not putting a price on your head" for blasphemy is fairly recent thing. From wikipiedia:
The last person in Britain to be sent to prison for blasphemy was John William Gott on 9 December 1921
and as late as 1977 a Briton was charged with blasphemy. So we in the west are two or three hundred years ahead of the middle east in moral development which shouldn't make us too smug. Just look at the USA and the number of people trying to get religion back into schools and courts. Don't be complacent. Superstition and hate needs to be constantly fought.
Anarchists never rule
The second question was obviously rhetorical, and meant to point out that the one talking to him was skirting the point of acknowledging that he is God. He acknowledged his Godhood on several other occasions, making this one out to be a denial is to ignore the rest of his words.
- Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
Well, the U.S. loved Egypt until the revolt, then it told Mubarak to hit the road, Jack. After Quaddafi was "rehabilitated", didn't take Washington too long to show him we loved him enough to send the very best in the business end of smart bombs.
Wanna bet if a good revolt happened in Saudi Arabia how long it would take Washington to heave the royals overboard and start anew with whatever takes their place. Mind you, what will take their place won't be pleasant for anyone, but that won't stop Washington...well...Obama anyhow, from trying.
Re the imperialism thing, err...we sort of gave Iraq back to the Iraqis, we didn't even steal their oil. Of course they are making a mincemeat of their new country, but that's what happens with tribal societies that are in shotgun marriages. Come to it, we gave Kuwait back too. Hmmm...we gave Panama back as well. Hey, is there a pattern here?
Got any other straw men in addition to "imperialism"? By the way, last we checked in on S. East Asia, the countries there appear to want to be snuggle bunnies with the U.S. Something about China throwing their weight around or something. Hell, even Vietnam wants to get under the covers. Could be a trend? No, couldn't be, must be U.S. Imperialism.